Everything Is Neon

Friday, February 1, 2013

As Blaik entered the forest, he checked his surroundings
regularly. He made his way to Mer Lake, where he rested his tired feet in the
cool water. Before he knew it, he saw Aimee’s webbed fingers brush the hair out
of her face as she emerged from the water.

“Aimee,” Blaik started. “I’ve had a crazy day.”

“What happened?” Aimee asked concerned.

“It all started last night as I was going back to the
palace,” Blaik began, “when all of a sudden someone came from behind and
drugged me with an Unc Leaf! I woke up the next morning to see an old friend,
one I don’t get along with, and she was watching me sleep.”

“What!?” Aimee asked. “Are you ok? Who captured you? Who
was it?”

“I’m fine,” Blaik replied. “You don’t know the person who I
woke up to. She’s a wicked queen on another planet. But that isn’t the worst
part.”

“There’s more?”

“When I woke up,” Blaik said, his words getting faster, “I
saw another old friend who I thought had died… but she was alive… and she was
telling me all this crazy stuff.”

Aimee looked concerned. She put her hand on Blaik’s leg. “You
seem frazzled. I think you need to go home and get some rest.”

“Aimee- no,” Blaik said. “I have to tell you what happened!
Mikeez, she was saying crazy stuff like she and Syrain had formed some type of
army, and they want to take over my kingdom!” Blaik

Aimee paused. Hundreds of thoughts were running through her
mind. Had her best friend gone mad? Had the death of his father and the betrayal
of his sister culminated to a final breaking point? Had the realities of his
life caused his mind to escape into a dark fantasy?

“You must feel so overwhelmed,” said Aimee.

“The worst part is, Syrain is going to try to get Nik to
join them,” Blaik said.

This last statement caught Aimee’s attention.

“And he might actually join them!” Blaik continued. “Dann
is still alive and they have him.”

Aimee felt lost. She wondered what could be done to help
her friend. She decided to play along. “Have you talked to Nik about all of
this?”

“No,” Blaik said. “I basically just asked him if he would
choose Dann over our friendship. He said no, but I think he might.”

Aimee looked Blaik directly in the eyes. “Do you want my
advice?”

“Of course!” Blaik said. “That is what I came here for. You
always give me the best advice.”

“I think you should talk to a Xlair that specializes in psychology,”
Aimee replied.

“What? Why would I need to do that?” Blaik asked. “How
could a Xlair help me?”

Aimee hesitated before she spoke. “I’m just saying that
this all seems a little outlandish. Syrain forming an army from the Dungeon?
You know that communication with prisoners in the Endless Dungeon of Darkness
is strictly impossible.”

“I know this all sounds crazy,” Blaik said. “I don’t blame
you for being concerned. But please, just trust me. Something bad is brewing.”

Aimee took a deep breath. “Ok. I believe you.”

Blaik smiled as he sighed from relief.

“If what these people were saying is true, then we need to
be prepared for war,” Aimee said.

“Wait, who said anything about a war?” Blaik asked.

“You said that Syrain was forming an army,” Aimee said. “Armies
are used to fight.”

“I don’t want to fight,” Blaik said.

“Then you are going to lose everything,” Aimee replied.

Blaik didn’t respond. He stared into the water, then closed
his eyes.

“I’m going to take you to a friend,” Aimee said. “She’s a
skilled warrior. She lives in a river that is quite far from here. We need to
swim there.”

Blaik looked despondent.

“Remember to hold my hand so you can breathe under the
water,” Aimee warned.

A merman popped his head out of the water. His wavy black
hair fell to cover his forehead. His green eyes shouted confidence, but at the
same time whispered with a soothing and kind calmness. Couple that with the
rousing smile of his red and voluptuous lips, it was no wonder that this was
the most sought after creature in the water.

“Hey brother,” Aimee said.

“Hello sister,” he replied. He bowed his head as he addressed
Blaik. “Your Majesty.”

“Hello Klarke,” Blaik replied.

“Where are you going Klarke?” Aimee asked.

“Mom is craving some
cocoa berries, so she sent me out to get some,” Klarke said as he swam to the
pebble filled land. As he made his way out of the water, his tail quickly
turned into a pair of legs. He stood up and waved to Blaik and Aimee.

Aimee waved back as she watched her brother walk into the
forest. She then turned to Blaik. “Are you ready?”

“I suppose so,” Blaik said.

“Remember to hold my hand,” Aimee said.

Blaik reached out to hold her hand. He longed to break
through the webbed fingers and have their hands intertwine. However, he settled
for the joining of palms. As soon as Blaik touched Aimee, a flame was lit in
the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t hide the smile that was always ignited. He
slowly fell into the lake.

They swam for a long time until they arrived at a river and
saw a stunning, brilliantly crafted underwater hut.

“This is where she lives,” Aimee said.

They swam to the entrance of the hut. Blaik couldn’t help
but feel a strange familiarity. As the door to the hut opened, a memory crept
into the forefront of Blaik’s mind. He knew who lived here.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Hello everybody!I'm always on the lookout for new talent, and a few months ago I discovered somebody AMAZING on Youtube. He is a singer named Nick Pitera.Nick Pitera is a 26 year old man based in the Bay Area of California. He works as an animator for Pixar Studios, however, I think his real talent is in his Youtube videos.Since I am a mega-fan of Les Miserables, I was browsing Youtube one day for different versions of songs from the musical. I stumbled across a video entitled, "One Man Les Miserables Nick Pitera Medley." At first I thought it looked strange, but I decided to click on the clip. What I saw changed my life forever.The video opens with the musical intro for "I Dreamed A Dream" and shows a total of nine Nick Pitera faces. The spotlight shines on the center row, far right Nick Pitera face with a caption saying "Fantine." Pitera begins singing the song, naturally altering his voice to sound like a female singer. And he does a fantastic job at it! After about a minute and a half of singing as Fantine, the music easily fades into "Who Am I?" where Pitera changes his voice to sound like Jean Valjean. It is incredible! Throughout the video, Pitera changes his voice to match the various characters in the musical such as Javert, Thenardier, Marius, Cosette, Eponine, and more. Check out the video by clicking on the link below!

Les Miserables MedleyAfter watching that video a few times, I decided to check out some of his other work. I was pleased to discover that he had also done a Phantom of the Opera medley. In this video, there are only three versions of Pitera, all of whom are wearing black and white suits. Pitera plays the role of the Phantom, Raoul, and Christine. His vocal capabilities were incredibly showcased as he reached the intensely high notes of Christine. This is a must see video! But Pitera's talents don't stop there. He is also an amazing actor, which is showcased by his "One Man Disney Movie" video where he acts as a hero, heroine, sidekick, villain, and two extras for the chorus. He combines Disney songs from various movies- again in a smooth and natural style. The best part of the video is when Pitera, as the hero, sings "Go the Distance" from Hercules, then transitions to the heroine to sing "Reflection" from Mulan. Pitera then combines the two songs for an unforgettable crescendo. It takes real talent to be able to do a duet all by yourself and sound so beautiful.Now at first, I didn't think that Pitera could alter his voice naturally. I figured he probably used some form of technology to do the altering. But I was proved wrong when I saw him perform on The Ellen Degeneres Show where he sang "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. He sang both Aladdin and Jasmine's parts, altering his voice live to match the characters. Check it out by clicking on the link below.

Nick Pitera Live on EllenIf you like Nick Pitera as much as I do, fell free to check out his other videos on Youtube where he covers many songs. You can also buy his original single "Better Days" on iTunes. So what are you waiting for? Go buy it!-Shadow

Blaik approached a cottage in the woods and knocked on the
front door.

Lady
Sanoj answered the door, shocked to see the King at her doorstep. She bowed.
“How may I help you, Your Majesty?”

“Good evening Lady Sanoj,” Blaik said. “Is Nik busy?”

“No,” Lady Sanoj said, “but I was not expecting Your
Majesty this evening, so please excuse my mess of a house.”

“With all due respect Lady Sanoj,” Blaik said as he entered
the cottage, “I’ve helped you clean this cottage before I was king, so I know
what it looks like dirty.”

“Of course Your Majesty,” Lady Sanoj said. She closed the
door behind her. “Nik is in his room, but a Xlair is on the way to check on his
legs.”

“Ok,” Blaik said as he noticed a portrait of Dann. He
walked closer to the portrait. He examined Dann’s fearless face. “Lady Sanoj?”

“What is it Your Majesty?” she asked.

Blaik turned around. “Does it get easier?”

Lady Sanoj walked closer to Blaik. She gazed at her son’s
portrait. “I think about Dann everyday,” Lady Sanoj replied. “I feel like he is
still with us to this day.”

Blaik put his hand on Lady Sanoj’s shoulder. He gave her a
warm smile.

Lad Sanoj quickly wiped a tear from her face. “Well, I
better start cleaning my home! I can’t let the King be in such a sty. I would
be the laughing stalk of the entire kingdom! Why don’t you go visit Nik now?”

“I
think I’ll do that,” Blaik replied. He gave Lady Sanoj a hug.

“Thank
you,” Lady Sanoj said. “You know, your father would be very proud of the King
that you have become.”

Blaik
smiled as he turned away and began walking down the hall. He approached Nik’s
room and knocked on the door.

Nik
was lying on his bed with both legs elevated by pillows. They were covered in
Strength Leaves- medically enhanced leaves to speed up the healing process of
injuries.

“Who
is it?” Nik asked.

“Your
one and only friend,” Blaik joked. “Can I come in?”

“Hmm…. Let me think about that,” Nik teased. “You can come
in under one condition: you owe me half the kingdom.”

“Very funny,” Blaik said as he opened the door and entered
the room.

“Eh, I wouldn’t want half of your kingdom anyway. I would
have to share it with you, a guy who won’t even visit his best friend with two
broken legs!” Nik complained.

Blaik sat on the edge of the bed. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Nik said. “I understand that you’re all busy
now trying to run an entire kingdom and what not.” Nik laughed.

“Yeah…” Blaik started. “It’s been kind of stressful lately.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Nik asked concerned.

Blaik hesitated. “Nothing. You wouldn’t really understand.”

“Try me.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Blaik said. “I came
here to escape all of that. I just want to hang out with my best friend.”

“Fine,” Nick said. “Is there anything else on your mind?”

“I was looking at that portrait of Dann in your living
room,” Blaik said. “I’m sure you miss him a lot.”

“Of course,” Nik said. “After all he is my brother. Just
like if you were to die. I’d miss you so much.”

Blaik stared intently at the floor. “You are a very special
friend.

Nik could sense that something was troubling Blaik. “Hey, I
think I know something that could help cheer you up. Would you like to see the
Xlair take off my Strength Leaves tonight?”

“No,” Nik answered. “My Xlair just wants to check up on it.
And probably give me another lecture about running blind folded.”

“Why would you even run with a blind fold on in the first
place?” Blaik asked.

“Why not?” Nik asked. “My brother was a stunt man,
remember? I learned a few things from him.”

Blaik laughed as someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Nik asked.

“Xlair Pern,” a woman replied.

Blaik looked at Nik. “So, your Xlair is a woman huh?” Blaik
smiled as his eyebrows went up and down.

“No, it’s not like that at all,” Nik said. “Trust me. She’s
a troll.”

“Oh,” Blaik grinned.

“Come in Xlair Pern,” Nik said.

Xlair Pern, a short and stout troll with tan skin, entered
the room. She quickly noticed Blaik sitting at the edge of the bed and
immediately did obeisance to him. “Please forgive me Your Majesty, I did not
notice you sitting there.”

Blaik looked perplexed. “It’s really not necessary to bow,”
he said. “I just wanted to see Nik’s leg.

“Yes Your Majesty,” Xlair Pern said as she stood, but
keeping her head down. She walked to the end of the bed where Nik’s legs were
elevated. She placed her hands on his ankle. Her hands went up the leg little
by little, applying more pressure as she went up. She then moved on to the next
leg. After that exercise, she put on gloves and began to take off the Strength
Leaves. Both of Nik’s legs were purple with tremendous swelling.

“Is his leg supposed to be purple?” Blaik asked.

“No it’s not. And it’s a good thing I checked on your leg,”
Xlair Pern said. “Have you been elevating your legs?”

“Yeah of course,” Nik said as he looked away.

Xlair Pern gave him a warning look.

“Ok, not all the time,” Nik said. “But it is just so boring
being in bed all day.”

“Well unfortunately you now need to have your legs elevated
for two more weeks. In two weeks I will come back and check ion them again,”
Xlair Pern said. She took out new Strength Leaves and began to wrap them on
Nik’s leg.

“Yes ma’am,” Nik said. “Thank you for the check up.”

“You can thank me by resting up your legs,” she said as she
began packing her supplies.